


A Souvenir

by jenovan



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pining, Wow I didn't know featherplay was a tag, just a little, okay probably not pining if they've already done it, sorry no smut today
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23555686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenovan/pseuds/jenovan
Summary: Prompted by Lessons 1-9 & 1-12 in the April 2020 Detective event.  Did Lord Diavoloreallykeep a random bird feather as a bookmark?
Relationships: Diavolo & Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Diavolo/Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 121





	A Souvenir

**Author's Note:**

> My first venture writing in this fandom. Uhh, hi!  
> This scene in-game raised a lot of questions and I wasn’t satisfied with the answers given...

They had lived together for millennia, but Lucifer’s brothers still, after all this time, seldom seemed to realize just how good his hearing was. He heard Mammon and Satan chattering long before he silently entered the classroom, so he wasn’t entirely shocked to see Satan tucking the gleaming white feather into the exchange student’s hair, but the sight still gave him a strange jolt.

“For your information, that isn’t one of  _ my _ feathers,” he said, summoning his best air of disdain. Mammon was far too busy mooning over the human to notice, and Satan had never felt his eldest brother’s angelic presence; neither of them seemed to register that Lucifer was lying through his teeth as he offered a simplistic explanation. Truthfully, it wasn’t  _ too _ hard to imagine Lord Diavolo finding a particularly pretty bird feather and keeping it as a souvenir. The man’s sense of whimsy seemed more angelic than demonic, at times.

The exchange student at least had the grace to look embarrassed as they tucked the feather carefully back into Diavolo’s book. Lucifer smiled ever so slightly to show that he didn’t blame them for his brothers’ nonsense, then took the book in hand as he shooed them all out of the classroom. He had…  _ questions _ for his prince.

  
  
  


“Do you have a moment, Lord Diavolo?” Lucifer asked diffidently once the prince had turned over his mysterious treasure chest.

“For you? Of course, Lucifer! But don’t you want to see what’s in the chest?”

Obviously, Diavolo wanted everyone to see the payoff for their intensive searching. Lucifer restrained a sigh and smiled. “I suppose I  _ am _ curious…”  _ Though less about that than other things… _

“Go on. Should I wait in your office?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Never.” The prince’s smile was bright as he leaned against the bookshelf near the hidden door.

The quiet exchange went unnoticed by the other brothers as they filed out into the common room., crowding around the human student and the mysterious chest. A few minutes later, as they began to speculate and argue about the upcoming tea party, Lucifer silently retreated to his office, shutting the door behind him. Diavolo, quite familiar with the fallen angel’s private hideaway, had already poured two glasses of Demonus, and now beamed at Lucifer from the plush comfort of one of the two overstuffed chairs. Wordlessly, Lucifer dropped into the other, then placed the incriminating textbook squarely on the coffee table.

“What’s-- oh.  _ Oh. _ ” The demon prince’s tone was an admission of guilt in and of itself. “Erm. Turned that up during all the searching at RAD, did you?”

“Satan did, actually. Fortunately, he’s not in a position to recognize it -- even though he quite accurately guessed what it was.” Lucifer plucked the feather out of the book, glad of his gloves at the moment. Even without physical contact, he could feel the faint whisper of his own angelic energy; he wasn’t sure what he’d feel if he actually touched the thing. “I passed it off as a bird feather from the human world.”

The slight shift of Diavolo’s posture told Lucifer that he wanted to reach for the feather, but he restrained the impulse and smiled sheepishly. “Well. That’s as good a cover as any,” he acknowledged. He took a slow sip of Demonus before speaking again. “I suppose you want to know how I came to have it.”

“...Yes.” The Avatar of Pride set the feather down carefully, then picked up his own glass. “When you first found me after I Fell -- me, and Lilith…” he trailed off as he remembered those agonizing, panicked moments. “...I had already changed, even though I didn’t realize it at the time.”

Diavolo nodded. “You’re right, of course. But -- I saw you Fall, you know.” He gave Lucifer a small smile as the other demon flinched in surprise. “You were like a meteor. I’d heard about the battle, of course, so I figured whoever-it-was hurtling through the sky was some fallout of that. I took Barbatos to see who had Fallen and what could be done. I found the scorched spot where you landed… and this.” He picked up the feather, twirling it slightly in his fingers. “It didn’t tell us who had crashed there, though, so we kept looking… and found the two of you.”

“Ah.” It was a simple explanation, and Lucifer didn’t think the prince would lie to him -- not about that day. He took a sip of his drink, his gaze caught by the gently twirling feather.

“Of course, events moved quite quickly then, and I forgot about it in the heat of the moment…” Diavolo tilted the feather and looked down along its shaft, as if judging its aerodynamic qualities. “And then, later, I wondered if it might bring up unpleasant feelings if I gave it back to you.” He shrugged apologetically. “I suppose after a while it seemed like it would be… awkward to return it.”

“Fair enough,” Lucifer had to admit. How would he have reacted, back then, still struggling to grasp his role as a powerful demon, if Diavolo had presented him with such a potent reminder of his old life?

“But now… well.” The prince shrugged again. “Perhaps it’s finally time.” He held the feather out, quill held gently between his thumb and forefinger, his molten-gold eyes capturing Lucifer’s.

The fallen angel wanted no part of this remnant of his past. But more than that…  _ He’s kept it this long, and despite his excuses… it can’t be just because he couldn’t think of a good time to give it back.  _ Frustratingly, Lucifer felt his face growing warm as he considered why his prince would keep such a… a  _ talisman _ close at hand.

“No, Lord Diavolo.” He shook his head and looked down at his glass, making no move to take the feather. “I think… it’s been in better hands than mine, all this time.”

“Ah?” Diavolo sounded mildly surprised to earn that confession, but after a moment, his bearing changed minutely, and he leaned forward ever so slightly. “You wish for me to keep it, then?”

Lucifer, attuned to his prince’s moods and whims, could easily hear the note of eagerness in his voice. He was nudging his right-hand man towards an admission he had no desire to make, and yet… he also had an obligation to please his lord, did he not?

If anyone knew the secret of humbling the Avatar of Pride, it was Lord Diavolo.

He looked up, and quickly regretted it. Diavolo took advantage of his renewed attention to draw the feather oh-so-lightly across his lips, his gaze locked on Lucifer and daring him to look away. The fallen angel couldn’t restrain a shiver; he had no connection to  _ that  _ feather anymore, but he knew perfectly well what the prince’s warm breath against his wings felt like…

“Yes,” he said too quickly, inwardly cursing at the fresh blush he could feel spreading across his cheeks. “It… I think it has meant more to you than it would to me.”

Diavolo grinned triumphantly at his loss of composure. “Ah, Lucifer. Was that really so hard to say?” He chuckled quietly, then looked at the fallen angel more seriously. “Have you wondered  _ why _ I’ve kept it close for all this time? After all, it’s not as if I need to pine for your presence.”

Well, that was certainly true; Lucifer wasn’t  _ quite _ a second shadow to the prince, not in the same way Barbatos often was, but he was seldom far away. He shook his head, unwilling to play guessing games.

“Well… It reminds me of what you looked like, before. Beautiful... but so cold and aloof. Like a star in the distant sky.” Diavolo tilted the feather, catching the light on the pearlescent vanes. “When I think about that, and how you are now… dark and intense and brilliant, a diamond born from the fires deep in the earth... “ His smile was somehow both proud and possessive. “You’re  _ better _ here. You’re as you should be.”

_ Am I? _ It was an unanswerable question, really, and the prince would naturally be biased… but perhaps there was some truth there. Certainly Simeon had thought so, even when Lucifer was still relatively new to the Devildom. Diavolo had said much the same thing, then -- that the Morning Star’s light shone brighter when surrounded by darkness.  _ I suppose he really  _ has  _ been holding on to that sentiment all this time... _

He knew he should reply, but accepting Diavolo’s compliments had always been difficult for him. One might have thought the embodiment of Pride would welcome praise, but…

“Perhaps you’re right,” he said finally, accepting and deflecting the compliment in the same breath.

Diavolo grinned. “I’ll take that as a win, coming from you.” Carefully, he tucked the feather away in his uniform jacket, then stood, prompting Lucifer to do the same. “I’ve got a few things I need to get back to, but are you free tonight? I thought you might want a quiet evening after…” he gestured vaguely towards where the rest of the brothers were probably still getting themselves wound up about the tea party. “I’ve got a table booked at Ristorante Six.”

Lucifer could only smile and shake his head admiringly at the prince’s planning. “I think I’ll take you up on that.” He gestured for Diavolo to precede him.

“Excellent!” As they walked towards the door, the taller demon clapped him on the shoulder, then leaned in close to murmur in his ear. “I’ll be looking forward to it~”

Fortunately, there was nothing further to be said as the hidden door to the library slid open; it would be a moment before Lucifer could find his voice. Diavolo’s contented laughter echoed in his ears as the prince took his leave.

**Author's Note:**

> Diavolo obviously adores Lucifer, has forever, and this fujoshi is here for it. ~~(It actually makes me feel kinda bad thirsting after Luci ;_; )~~  
>  I hope they both sound appropriate, Diavolo in particular is a little elusive in terms of voice, maybe just because he doesn't appear as often as the brothers... More practice is needed, clearly!


End file.
